Mauro Icardi Could Be a Better Signing for Atletico Madrid Than Diego Costa

Atletico Madrid's striker search will dominate the headlines surrounding the Vicente Calderon club until they decide which one they want and shell out a big fee to capture him.

After selling Jackson Martinez in January and not seeing a worthwhile return from Luciano Vietto, a new forward was always likely to be Atleti's priority in summer.

And so it has proved, with rumours ongoing and varied as the media attempts to keep tabs on who might be the newest partner for Antoine Griezmann.

Despite Atleti doing well to renew the side and find alternatives for the star names who have left over the last few years, Diego Costa's departure to Chelsea in 2014 has left a hole that has yet to be completely filled: Mario Mandzukic lasted only a year as his direct replacement, while Martinez didn't even get that long.

Costa has been incessantly linked with a move back to Atletico this summer, with AS' Manu de Juan in particular labelling the Spain international as Diego Simeone's primary target, but the latest rumour is a far more interesting one in terms of Atletico's progression and renewal: Mauro Icardi, who is currently of Inter and is the type of player who could surpass even Costa's level of performance in his time at the Calderon. 

El Intransigente (h/t Marca's Archie Vaughan Williams) suggested Icardi wants to work specifically with Simeone, and the prospect of the Argentinian forward leading the line for Los Rojiblancos in 2016-17 is an enticing one.

Costa's edge

Brazilian-born Costa was a gradual star, but there's no doubt he was almost purpose-built for Simeone's Atletico by the time he transitioned into a regular starter.

For Atletico, he was fantastic runner of the channels. He could take on defenders, cut inside and score goals, carry the ball 40 yards at a time and was a relentless, aggressive, combative defender from the front, never giving opponents time in possession and always helping the rest of his team protect their own penalty area.

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The effective challenge-and-surge approach now shown by Yannick Carrasco and Griezmann was firstly perfected by Costa, who made great use of space and fired Atletico to the title in his final season at the club, as well as the UEFA Champions League final.

At Chelsea, he starred early on before suffering form and injury issues over the last 18 months, and reports have been mixed over his likelihood to remain at Stamford Bridge.

The Times (h/t the Independent's Mark Critchley) said Antonio Conte wants to keep the striker, but Atletico president Enrique Cerezo said Costa wants to leave the Bridge and move back to the Calderon, as reported by TV station Antena 3 (h/t the Express' Joe Short).

Icardi

Over at Inter, it's equally as tricky to sort truth from rumour: The club was recently sold to a Chinese investor group weeks after Javier Zanetti—former player, now vice-president—suggested that Icardi was certain to stay as captain and that former president Massimo Moratti was doing everything possible to push the club forward (per La Gazzetta dello Sport, via ESPN FC's Ben Gladwell).

However, Moratti has now sold his remaining stake and is no longer involved with the club, and the direction for this summer seems unclear.

In a further twist, the Mirror (h/t the Express' Joe Short) reported Icardi's contract to have a €35 million release clause, but the existence of such a clause appears unconfirmed elsewhere.

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The now-23-year-old netted 16 goals in Serie A in 15-16 and 22 the season before, and he has one Argentina cap. Icardi's talent warrants more appearances on the international stage, but context is important: He's up against the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi just for a place in the squad.

Movement off the ball, aggression out of possession and a killer touch in front of goal—these are all Icardi's traits and strengths, and they are without doubt what Simeone requires in his new forward.

Icardi perhaps doesn't dribble at defenders as often as Costa did, or would do again, but he does work the channels, hold up play and have energy to burn. He's inspirational, leads from the front and is a tremendous tactical fit for Los Rojiblancos.

Summer of fun

There are already so many rumours for Atletico fans to deal with that it's odd to think how the squad might look just a couple of months after almost being crowned champions of Europe—but huge changes shouldn't be expected.

One or two big signings are a must, with large outlays required, and striker is very much a position that will benefit from the investment—but it should be just on the one player, even though four or five have been linked. 

AS' Manu de Juan named Edinson Cavani, Gonzalo Higuain and Kevin Gameiro as alternatives, while Marca's Gonzalo Lafora suggested Alexandre Lacazette was on the shortlist—but no longer.

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Atleti are on a mission to catch Real Madrid and Barcelona again, and that can only be done with continued investment and improvement—and also sustainability.

To that end, it will be huge news if Griezmann renews his deal, as L'Equipe reported is close (h/t Marca), while Angel Correa should stay and Fernando Torres has been offered a new contract, according to Marca's Isaac Suarez.

Add in deals close to completion for Nico Gaitan and Diogo Jota, as reported by Marca's Sergio Fernandez, and it's very apparent that Atletico are only interested in moving forward.

Simeone

And yet, aside from the playing staff, so much depends on the manager.

Simeone has worked wonders so far, but he clearly wants more from himself and his team as they push for further silverware and glory, memories and titles.

Atleti CEO Miguel Angel Gil noted how important it is for Simeone to continually push the club to achieve more, as reported by Marca's Luis Aznar, and he's exactly right, but Simeone also has to push himself more next term.

The head coach must be ruthless in his decision-making, must ignore his favourites if they are not producing and, above all else, must be attack-minded.

Icardi would be a fantastic starting point for all those aspects to come together, and if he is indeed available, he'd be far better value for Atletico to go for than resuming a chase for Diego Costa, who served his time well at Atletico but can now be improved upon.

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